24 September 1961 · Over the wall · Treptow and Neukölln
West Berlin youths cut the fence at the Dammweg for a woman and her child
On 24 September 1961 young West Berliners cut through the border fence at the Dammweg control point from the western side, allowing a woman and her child to escape.
A Stasi report of 1 November 1961 complained of many cases in which West Berlin youths damaged the border installations to make escapes easier, and claimed that the youths were mostly covered, encouraged and directly supported by the West Berlin police.
According to the same report, on 24 September 1961 'incited youths' cut through the border fence at the Dammweg control point from West Berlin and so enabled a woman with a child to flee.
The report cited it next to a failed attempt on 2 October, when three West Berlin youths covered by a West Berlin police radio car tried to cut the fence at the Karpfenteichstraße control point for an escape that was to happen at the same time but was stopped.
Sources
- Jahrgang 1961: Vorkommnisse an der Staatsgrenze West – Bericht Nr. 679/61, 1. November 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
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